NCJ Number
101565
Date Published
1985
Length
55 pages
Annotation
Observations and recommendations on the evaluation of neighborhood crime prevention programs in the Netherlands focus on field experiments involving community residents, merchants, administrative agencies, and police.
Abstract
A discussion of the importance of monitoring program implementation to identify the effects actually produced by the program includes descriptions of three general sources of information on program implementation: observation, administrative records, and interviews with program targets. A review of some common evaluative research designs focuses on quasi-experimental designs, since these are commonly used for field evaluations in the Netherlands. Factors that strengthen quasi-experiments are noted, followed by discussions of sample size considerations, panel versus cross-sectional designs for quasi-experiments, and the modeling of causal processes. A summary of evaluation measurement issues addresses the development of outcome measures that are technically adequate. The discussion of an evaluation's 'external validity' examines the application of evaluation findings to other programs, people, and places. Other topics considered include displacement and the evaluator's role in field experiments. 45-item bibliography.